FRIDAY, MARCH 10, 2017
4 — THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS
Opinion / Politics
— Letters to the Editor —
Group seeks to tarnish Walden’s
reputation
To the Editor:
Recent weeks have shown a concerted
effort to tarnish Congressman Greg
Walden’s reputation throughout his dis-
trict. This is part of a formal game plan
put forth by a George Soros-funded group:
www.indivisibleguide.com.
I would not be surprised if they aren’t
working with ROP or Rural Organizing
Project (www.rop.org) which is another
Soros trained and funded group which has
dabbled in controlling local political is-
sues here in Baker County and other east-
ern Oregon counties. Their game plan is
right in line with Saul Alinsky’s socialistic
game plan as laid out in his book, “Rules
for Radicals.”
Congressman Walden was in Baker City
just a couple of weeks ago. He was in
Ontario this past week touring the snow
damage of the regions onion harvest, in
addition to a town hall in Ontario. Again
some people are promoting fake news,
fake information in hopes that the general
public is stupid enough to believe it.
Currently hired protestors are harassing
and pestering all of Greg’s offices in Or-
egon. They keep the phone lines jammed
so people who have legitimate business
have a hard time getting through. It is all
in their game plan in the link above.
Congressman Walden is back in his dis-
trict almost every weekend. Congressional
District 2 is the largest district in the state,
being 20 of Oregon’s 36 counties. Be-
come informed, don’t buy the fake news
and also try to have a little patience and
understanding of one of hardest working
representatives we have.
Suzan Ellis Jones
Bridgeport
Chair Baker County Republican Party
Alt. Chair, ORP Congressional District 2
Chair, ORP Natural Resource Committee
Walden speaks to Trump’s
stand regarding Waters of the
United States rule
U.S. Rep. Greg Walden
(R-Hood River) issued the
following statement on
President Trump’s execu-
tive order regarding the
Waters of the United States
rule:
“Today, the President
took the first step to ditch
this awful rule. Finally, we
have a President who actu-
ally listens to rural Oregon
communities.
“This is a big victory
for farmers, ranchers, and
property owners in rural
Oregon and throughout
the nation. The flawed
WOTUS rule would have
expanded federal authority
over virtually any water
in the nation, including
canals, irrigation ditches,
vernal pools, and stock
ponds. I have long said
that this blatant federal
overreach would drasti-
cally increase uncertainty
and threaten jobs and
livelihoods throughout the
West.”
Zinke to expand access to
public lands
On his first day on duty,
Department of the Inte-
rior Secretary Ryan Zinke
(pronounced ZINK-ee) is-
sued two secretarial orders
which expand access to
public lands and increase
hunting, fishing, and
recreation opportunities
nationwide. These orders
deliver on promises made
by both President Donald
J. Trump and Secretary
Zinke to expand access to
America’s public lands.
The action was hailed
by representatives from
sportsmen, conservation,
and recreation organiza-
tions.
“Outdoor recreation is
about both our heritage
and our economy. Between
hunting, fishing, motorized
recreation, camping and
more, the industry gener-
ates thousands of jobs
and billions of dollars in
economic activity,” said
Zinke. “Over the past eight
years however, hunting,
and recreation enthusiasts
have seen trails closed and
dramatic decreases in ac-
cess to public lands across
the board. It worries me
to think about hunting and
fishing becoming activities
for the land-owning elite.
This package of secretarial
orders will expand access
for outdoor enthusiasts and
also make sure the commu-
nity’s voice is heard.”
The two secretarial or-
ders include:
Secretarial Order 3346
advances conservation
stewardship, improves
game and habitat man-
agement, and increases
outdoor recreation op-
portunities by directing
bureaus and agencies
to immediately identify
areas where recreation and
fishing can be expanded.
The order also requests
input from the Wildlife
and Hunting Heritage
Conservation Council and
Sport Fishing and Boat-
ing Partnership Council to
provide recommendations
on enhancing and expand-
ing access on public lands
and improving habitat for
fish and wildlife.
Secretarial Order 3347
overturns the recent ban
lead ammunition and fish
tackle used on Fish and
Wildlife Service lands,
waters, and facilities. The
order highlights the need
for additional review and
consultation with local
stakeholders.
Secretary Zinke was
joined by representatives
from the Congressional
Sportsmen’s Foundation,
National Shooting Sports
Foundation, Boone and
Crockett Club, Wild Sheep
Foundation, Theodore
Roosevelt Conservation
Partnership, National Rifle
Association, Safari Club,
National Wild Turkey
Foundation, Archery Trade
Association, Association of
Fish and Wildlife Agen-
cies, American Recre-
ation Council, Pheasants
Forever, Ducks Unlimited,
Sportsmen for Fish and
Wildlife, and National
Marine Manufacturers As-
sociation.
Rep. Post introduces pro-2A bills
SALEM – Representa-
tive Bill Post (R-Keizer)
has introduced multiple
bills to protect Oregonians’
2nd Amendment rights.
HB 3271 pushes back
against a recent adminis-
trative rule. This bill pro-
hibits state agencies from
drafting rules that would
prohibit their employees
who have a concealed
carry permit from bringing
a weapon to their work-
place.
HB 2974 This would
exempt people who are
certified participants in
the Address Confidential-
ity Program from SB941,
the universal background
check bill from 2015.
Many of these people
have their addresses pro-
tected because of severe
threats to their lives. Cur-
rently, they are prohibited
from legally purchasing
a firearm for their safety
because their address is not
printed on their driver’s
license.
HB 2171 creates reci-
procity for concealed carry
Letter to the Editor Policy: The Baker
County Press reserves the right not to pub-
lish letters containing factual falsehoods or
incoherent narrative. Letters promoting or de-
tracting from specific for-profit businesses will
not be published. Word limit is 375 words per
letter. Letters are limited to one every other
week per author. Letters should be submitted
to Editor@TheBakerCountyPress.com.
Advertising and Opinion Page Disclaim-
er: Opinions submitted as Guest Opinions or
permit holders from other
states who meet Oregon’s
standards of training.
HB 2973 completely
repeals SB 941.
Representative Post rep-
resents the communities of
Keizer, St. Paul and New-
berg in the Oregon House.
He currently serves on the
House Judiciary Commit-
tee, the House Economic
Development and Trade
Committee and the House
Veterans and Emergency
Preparedness Committee.
Letters to the Editor express the opinions of
their authors, and have not been authored by
and are not necessarily the opinions of The
Baker County Press, any of our staff, manage-
ment, independent contractors or affiliates.
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— Special Column —
So I was
thinking ...
Cabin Fever
By Jimmy Ingram
Special to The Baker County Press
Submitted Photo
The last week has been a rough one
in my household.
The normal five to six hours of inter-
rupted sleep my wife and I usually get
was reduced significantly by one of our
two kids being sick.
Considering both my wife and I have
careers, it becomes a balancing act de-
termining who will stay home with the
kids and who will be going to work.
Things worked out better for me to
stay home on this particular week. And
though I feel bad that my son is sick, I
do enjoy spending extra time with him
and my daughter.
It also gave me a chance to reflect on
what to do on a cold winter day spent
in the house with one sick kid, one
bored kid, and a dad with cabin fever.
7 a.m. breakfast: In my house,
preparing breakfast for the kids is like
surgery. Bread crusts shall be care-
fully trimmed, eggs shall be seasoned
to perfection, and liberal use of butter/
jam encouraged. Even so, roughly half
of the food that gets prepared remains
uneaten.
What I have learned as a father is
that my children’s “leftovers” help me
avoid having to prepare breakfast for
myself. It turns out that bread crusts,
half a container of yogurt, and 1.25
eggs can offer enough satiety to get me
through my morning.
8 a.m. cartoons: The DVR has pro-
vided most modern parents with hour
upon hour of cartoons for kids to watch
on demand. While we do our best
within our house to limit time behind
the TV, it is an inevitable daily occur-
rence.
I’ve spent many brain dead hours
exploring with Dora, watching the
rescue missions of Paw Patrol, and
experienced the sensory overload of
Spongebob Squarepants.
But as most parents know, some-
times the 30 minutes your children
spend watching cartoons is the only
thing keeping parents sane. A welcome
reprieve from the “Mom? Dad? Mom!
Dad!” requests.
10 a.m. Legos: I have a love/hate
relationship with Legos. They encour-
age kids to build, engineer, and follow
instructions. They also feel like a house
of cards waiting to fall into a tear-in-
ducing pile of rubble at any point dur-
ing and following the building process.
They seem to be magnetically drawn
to two things: bare feet, and vacuum
cleaners. I’m certain a statistical
analysis of adult time spent with Legos
Jimmy Ingram is a local farmer and
father of two who enjoys people
watching within our wonderful
community and beyond.
would reveal the following.
Lego construction: 20%
Picking up Legos: 40%
Digging Legos out of the vacuum:
15%
Searching for lost Legos: 15%
Stepping on Legos: 10%
Even as I write this my children are
searching for a missing Lego piece.
But I suppose building with Legos
could be a good metaphor for life:
Spend time building something, try
and keep it from falling apart, and
constantly wonder where the missing
pieces are.
2 p.m. nap: Nap time is like a paren-
tal investment of sorts: Take the time
now to get your tired child to sleep off
their grouchiness, or endure an entire
evening of it which, in turn, will make
you grouchy.
Fail to make this investment, and din-
ner time becomes a gauntlet of terror.
Well rested kids are challenging
enough, tired kids will drive you to the
looney bin.
Invest wisely.
6 p.m. dinner: This is always inter-
esting for parents of small children.
Spend 10 minutes making hot dogs and
macaroni, you’re a hero.
Spend 90 minutes preparing a four-
course meal and you’ll be asked why
it isn’t hot dogs and macaroni. This
meal also tends to result in the larg-
est amount of food being spilled and
or thrown on the floor. A nuisance for
parents, an all you can eat buffet for the
dog(s) of the house.
8 p.m. bedtime: Ahh, the end of the
day. The time when all the stuffed ani-
mals are gathered, books are read, teeth
are brushed (reluctantly), and the lights
go down.
And while there’s an enjoyable
comfort tucking your kids into bed, it’s
soon erased when parents realize they
still have four loads of laundry to do, a
sink full of dishes, and a stack of book-
keeping that awaits.
As many people know, being a parent
is an awesome experience. I wouldn’t
trade anything for the time my wife and
I spend with our kids.
We would, however like to trade
something for a full night of sleep, and
a few missing (and very important)
Lego pieces.
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